Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Integration in the National Airspace System (NAS) Project - September 2018 UAS-NAS NASA 870 “Ikhana” UAS No Chase COA (NCC) Flights - Overview, Development, Results and Lessons Learned

Sep 5, 2026

September 2018 UAS-NAS briefing outlines the National Airspace System (NAS) integration project for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), using simulation and flight-test research to enable Detect-and-Avoid (DAA) and Command-and-Control (C2) technologies. It explains why integration matters to economic growth and emerging civil and commercial markets, and identifies barriers spanning UAS-specific regulations, enabling technologies and standards, NAS infrastructure, and social considerations such as privacy, security, noise, and trust. It describes FAA guidance, stakeholder needs, RTCA standardization efforts, and key development topics including COA processing and mission planning.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryTechnology

FormatPDF

Pages57

Reading Time2 h 24 min

AccessFree to download

Overview

Introduction

Development

Results and Analysis

Lessons Learned

Conclusions

Importance of UAS Integration

Economic impact and market drivers

Importance of Developing Standards

FAA UAS CONOPs and Roadmap

DAA and C2 foundational challenges

RTCA SC-228 and stakeholder needs

UAS-NAS Project Goal and Technical Challenges

DAA challenge

C2 challenge

System Integration and Operationalization (SIO)

Development Focus Areas

Separation from other aircraft and collision avoidance thresholds

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Integration in the National Airspace System (NAS) Project NASA 870 “Ikhana” UASNo Chase COA (NCC) Flights Presented by: Ms. Steffi Valkov Flight Operations September 2018 UAS INTEGRATION IN THE NAS A Typical Day in America’s Airspace Sept. 2018 UAS-NAS NASA 870 “Ikhana” UAS No Chase COA (NCC) Flights Overview • Introduction – UAS-NAS Scope and Purpose • Development – Objectives – Stakeholders and Participants – Schedule, UAS, and DAA System – COA Process – Route and Mission Planning • Results and Analysis – Rehearsal Flight – Demonstration Flight • Lessons Learned • Conclusions | NASA 870 General Performance Characteristics | | | --- | --- | | Weight | 10,500 lb | | Speed | 200 kts | | Ceiling | 40,000 ft | | Endurance | 24 hr | NASA 870 “Ikhana” UAS flying in the NAS on 24 May 2018 Sept. 2018 UAS-NAS NASA 870 “Ikhana” UAS No Chase COA (NCC) Flights Introduction Sept. 2018 UAS-NAS NASA 870 “Ikhana” UAS No Chase COA (NCC) Flights Importance of UAS Integration • According to recent economic assessments 1,2, the unmanned aircraft system (UAS) market is one of the fastest growing segments in the aerospace industry – Potential for creating over 100,000 jobs by 2025 – Translating to over $82 billion in total economic impact • Several civil / commercial markets are poised to take full advantage of the capabilities UAS offer | • Agriculture Monitoring | • Freight Transport | • Powerline Surveys | | --- | --- | --- | | • Aerial Imaging/mapping | • Law Enforcement | • Telecommunications | | • Border Surveillance | • Mail/Package Delivery | • News/Sports Coverage | | • Disaster Management | • Oil/Gas Exploration | • Traffic Monitoring | | • Environmental Monitoring | • Pipeline/Rail Monitoring | • Wildfire Mapping | • Unfortunately, the UAS market is not able to achieve this level of growth until the barriers and challenges, currently preventing full integration, are addressed – Regulations, Policies and Procedures specific to UAS – Enabling Technologies and Standards Development – Air Traffic Services and NAS Infrastructure – Social Considerations (e.g. Privacy, Security, Noise, Trust) 1. The Economic Impact of UAS Integration in the United States, AUVSI, March 2013 2. World Civil UAS Market Profile & Forecast, Teal Group, 2016 Sept. 2018 UAS-NAS NASA 870 “Ikhana” UAS No Chase COA (NCC) Flights “For every year integration is delayed, the United States loses more than $10B in potential economic impact ($27.6M per day).” –AUVSI Economic Report 2013 Importance of Developing Standards • The FAA’s UAS CONOPs and Roadmap establish the vision and define the path forward for safely integrating civil UAS operations into the NAS – These documents establish the importance of standards development; explicitly DAA & C2 standards • DAA Foundational Challenge: Detect & Avoid vs. See & Avoid • C2 Foundational Challenge: Pilot removed from the cockpit • Standards are essential for multiple stakeholders: – Regulators: Need standards to certify and approve solutions in a consistent manner – UAS Operators: Need standards to utilize UAS for operational missions and new market applications – UAS Manufacturers: Need standards to develop compliant UAS platforms and solutions – Industry: Need standards to develop compliant HW/SW avionics, radios and sensors • RTCA SC-203 was, and SC-228 now is, chartered by the FAA to establish UAS DAA and C2 Standards Once the RTCA SC-228 ToR deliverables are approved and their requirements fulfilled, the FAA should be able to eliminate most of the major DAA and C2 barriers for integration. Sept. 2018 UAS-NAS NASA 870 “Ikhana” UAS No Chase COA (NCC) Flights Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) integration in the National Airspace System (NAS) Project Goal Goal: Provide research findings, utilizing simulation and flight tests, to support the development and validation of DAA and C2 tec

FAQs

What is the main goal of the UAS integration project into the NAS?

Provide research findings using simulation and flight tests to support development and validation of DAA and C2 technologies required for integrating UAS into the NAS.

Why is UAS integration considered important?

It supports rapid growth in the aerospace segment and unlocks economic impact and jobs, while enabling multiple civil and commercial market applications.

What standards and foundational challenges are emphasized for integration?

FAA and RTCA efforts are highlighted, especially DAA and C2 standards, with foundational challenges including Detect-and-Avoid versus See-and-Avoid and the pilot removed from the cockpit.

Sep 5, 2026

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